In this week’s readings, I found that the article named
Support for Students with Disabilities, focused on practicing with a bit more
detail. I didn’t find that this was focused as much on those with disabilities
as just general tips on how everyone can improve using methods of organization.
Colored markers, high-lighters, note cards, reading your paper aloud or using a
tape recorder, or go to the writing center to assist you in the process of
writing.
This to me rolled into the article Access for All: The Role
of Disability in Multiliteracy Centers, where the author spoke of not just accommodating
those with disabilities, both physical and mental, but restructuring the way
the tutors approach each tutee in teaching per various learning styles.
Kinesthetic, audio, or visual learning styles should be adjusted to assist the
student with finding out what methods would best work for them. In doing this,
the tutee can help the disabled students, instead of accommodating them, based off
style and not the disability. In some ways, I feel this works, in other
instances, tutors should accommodate the student based off their needs. The
Universal Design of making sure the environment is structured to accommodate an
individual that requires special accommodations. Also, the pedagogy should be
able to be adjustable to assist all students.
This article to me rolled into the Blurring my boundaries:
insights from tutoring a student with visual impairments where Susan, a blind
student was being helped by a tutor. The tutor felt initially thrown into the
tutor session but learned on her own how to help this blind student through
trial and error. The tutor looked forward to the sessions with the disabled
student and learned how to assist her, even though she stepped into taboo
territory and did some of the “No-No’s” that most writing centers prefer.
I didn’t care for the Dual Citizenship of Disability. I couldn’t
for the life of me understand why the tutor felt they had the authority to
diagnose a student with a disability. I felt if they used the approach from the
other article using a flexible pedagogy with all students, that the need to
diagnose a student would be irrelevant. Also, a statement made when one student
entered and told them immediately about being dyslexic, that she wishes all
students were that honest. Why do they have to disrobe themselves for the sake
of the tutor’s comfort? The tutor is there to help, no matter the disability. With
time and patience, maybe the student will trust the tutor more to tell such valuable
information. I found that this article was out of line in some areas if you
feel the student may have a disability, you can offer them information that may
enlighten them to this knowledge, but I don’t feel a diagnosis or statement that
may be considered a diagnosis should be offered. They stated they are not a
counselor but seemed a lot of the statements led me to believe that they were
both tutor and counselor, or psychiatrist.
I 100% agree with trying to implement different learning styles to accommodate a variety of people. While the writing center is mostly an auditory experience, it can also do more with experimenting with visual learning (without always following a "direct" mode of writing center theory), as well as looking at creative ways to use more "hands on" approaches. Additionally, students who are on the autism spectrum are more likely to feel more comfortable with kinesthetic learning, and developing understanding by figuring those things out as if it were a "giant puzzle." Part of what I'm researching for my graduate proposal has to deal with the relationship of writing centers with students who are not neurotypical, specifically high-functioning collegiate students with autism. My proposal wants to explore those concepts of maker spaces, which implement that variety of learning, in order to make the writing center a completely inclusive and comfortable space from individuals who learn and process in a variety of ways.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about McHarg's article: that they shouldn't be diagnosing students or asking students to disclose their diagnoses. I also liked the word you used, "disrobe." It emphasizes the vulnerability a student would feel if they had to tell a tutor, a complete stranger, about something academic society still views as a hush-hush taboo sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same about the dual citizenship. i dont think that tutors should ask students if they have a disability or not. however i do feel that if students disclose that information themselves that it can be more beneficial that harmful.
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